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Lately, I’ve been obsessed with “aperitif” cocktails, often made with lower alcohol levels and showcasing lovely vermouths, fortified wines, and bitter spirits like Cynar. And the July issue of Wine Enthusiast magazine includes my article on Aperitif Cocktails.

One of the most entertaining stories in aperitif-land now is in public transportation-challenged Atlanta, GA, where the bartenders banded together to find the polar opposite of the super-boozy Corpse Reviver and its brethren.

“This is a driving town,” explained Greg Best, co-owner and bartender at Atlanta’s Holeman & Finch. “It can get dangerous.” So in a grand effort to suppress alcohol levels, Atlanta’s mixologists hosted a contest to build a better, and lower-octane, cockail canon. The end result: a new cocktail category called Suppressors.

I’d love to see every bar and restaurant have a lower-alcohol aperitif section on their menu; some “aperitifs” can be pretty darn strong. In my article, I featured Suppressor #21 (Cynar, Barolo Chinato, sherry, created by Paul Calvert of Pura Vida Tapas), as well as recipes sourced from Northern Spy in NY and OAK at fourteenth in Boulder. But here’s a second Suppressor cocktail created by Best, which had to be cut from the article for space reasons. It’s delicious, and quickly disappeared as soon as I shot this photo.

Suppressor #7

by Greg Best, Holeman & Finch

Pommeau de Normandy is a French apple brandy that’s lightened with unfermented apple cider.

1 ounce Cynar

1 ounce Pommeau de Normandy

1 ounce crisp sparkling wine, such as Cava

1 lemon peel

In a mixing glass, stir together Cynar, Pommeau and ice. Strain into a sherry tulip or riesling tulip glass. Pour in sparkling wine, then express oils from lemon peel over the top and discard the peel.